News

The Queens Night Market is looking for ways to keep its low food prices

Plus, here are some of the foods that will be served at the program's 10th installment later this year.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Queens Night Market
Photograph: Time Out/Ali Garber | |
Advertising

Although we're still a couple of months away from the April debut of the Queens Night Market's 2025 season—the program's 10th!—we just got word about some of the exciting food offerings that the beloved destination will be serving this year and we're just too excited to keep it all to ourselves. 

From Burmese palatas and leaf tea salads to Italian porchette, Ukrainian knishes, Colombian arepas, Bangladeshi dim chop, Polish pierogis, Israeli babkas, Indian idli, Trinidadian dumplings and Persian crispy rice, among many other options, the market will, as usual, be filled with dishes spanning all sorts of worldly cuisines. 

Vendor applications are still open, but some merchants have already confirmed their upcoming presence, including Babka Bailout, Taboonia, Los Almendros, Moon Man, Persian Eats, Sam's Fried Ice Cream, Twisted Potato and Sambuxa.

According to an official press release, over its past nine seasons, the Queens Night Market has welcomed over 3 million visitors and helped launch approximately 450 brand-new businesses. Speaking of those local entrepreneurs: one of the most treasured aspects of the seasonal markets is the price cap that organizers implement each year. Every dish costs between $5 and $6 because the market offsets vendors fees through sponsorships. To put it simply: the vendors don't have to pay too much to set up shop in the area, and can therefore sell their dishes at affordable prices. 

Although the price cap is set to continue, organizers are now seeking additional investment to support their cause, perhaps in the hopes of completely waiving vendor fees. 

"When we launched in 2015, we set out to be NYC’s most affordable community space to ensure that Queens Night Market was maximally accessible," said John Wang, the event's founder, in a statement. "Barring an era of deflation, our unique price caps become more and more important to a broader swath of New Yorkers every year. It’s just a matter of fact that for every dollar event prices increase, they are incrementally less accessible, especially for young families."

What can you do to help the cause? Make sure to support the market by heading out to Queens when it reopens for the season!

Popular on Time Out

    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising